THE CENTRAL STORY OF ACTS
1. The central story may usefully be summarized this way: God is at work in the person of Jesus Christ and especially in his death, burial and resurrection to bring life and salvation to all mankind through the People of God the Church .
DIVISION: NEGLECTING THE "OTHER SIDE"
2. In Acts 2 we read of a multitude of people of many different languages. They heard the gospel and about 3,000 of them said yes to Jesus as Lord (2:41 ). Then we were told they had all things common (2:44-46 ). Not long after this, Satan took a hand and trouble brewed between two groups in the Church at Jerusalem. The trouble was between the "Hebrews" and the "Grecian Jews" (6:1). It was over the distribution of necessities to the poor. The "Grecian Jews" felt their widows were being neglected.
3. "Grecian Jews" were Jews whose first language was Greek and who had been molded by life outside Palestine. The "Hebrews" were those Jews whose language was Hebrew or Aramaic. These were probably descendants of those who came back to Palestine under Ezra and others. Tension between Hebrews and Greek-speaking Jews was old. Hebrew suspicion about the orthodoxy of the other group was met with resentment that the Hebrews should think they had a monopoly on insight, truth and integrity.
THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE PROBLEM
4. This was a serious problem. The new Community had barely begun. They were proclaiming peace through Jesus Christ. He was the Messiah the disciples claimed; the Messiah who would fulfill the prophets and bring the Jews back into unity under God (see Ezek 37:15-22 as an illustration of this truth). Was this the unity their Messiah brought? Is this the nature of the Congregation the Messiah said he would build (Matt 16:18 )? It wasn't simply a matter of some widows who weren't being cared for. The underlying problem was the tension between the two groups.
THE CURE: SEVEN MEN WITH THE SPIRIT
5. The apostles wanted to kill the problem immediately and urged the choosing of seven men who would see that fairness prevailed in this matter (6:3 ). It wouldn't have been helpful for the apostles to neglect their ministry (6:2 ). This didn't mean the task given over to these seven was of little importance! The reverse is true! And that's why they chose seven men who were wise, who had a good reputation and were characteristically in step with the Spirit (6:3 ). Such a work couldn't be left to rash men about whom many people had doubts and whose spirituality was in serious question. The choice was not made by the apostles (6:3,5 ). The apostles prayed and approved the choice of the multitude. They laid their hands on them, appointing them to the task and commending them to the grace of God for the work they were undertaking (6:6 ). The laying on of hands is often connected with conferring a blessing from God and appointment to a particular function (see, for example, Acts 13:1 and 14:26 which illustrate this point).
6. The whole situation must have been handled well for we read in connection with all this that the word of God increased that is, its effects increased; more people including a great multitude of the priests turned to Jesus Christ (6:7 ). It is one thing to talk unity and it's another to work in unity and work to produce unity. In the situation reflected here, Luke is showing us what can be accomplished by people of wisdom, faith and the Spirit of God. If division is to be cured, we must have people who are willing to keep in step with the Spirit of Christ Jesus. The whole mission of God to the world (through the Church) could have ground to a halt or been slowed considerably if this dis-ease had not been dealt with promptly. But it was handled! And a crisis well handled becomes a positive testimony of the power of the risen Lord to unite people.